Streamlining Land Use Regulation and Development Review

As reported on Planetizen, Seattle's City Council approved a series of changes to the city's land use regulations on Monday that, it is claimed, "will create jobs and encourage flexibility and creativity in new development."  These changes include an easing of parking requirements for new projects, a higher threshold for the size of projects subject to environmental review, and the elimination of a requirement of ground-floor retail space in certain areas.  Last month, New York City initiated a program aimed at speeding up the land use review process and reducing associated costs for developers.  New York is also considering reductions, in certain areas, of off-street parking requirements for new developments.  (See a Furman Center report on the impact of minimum parking requirements on housing affordability.)   Similarly, Los Angeles recently approved five years of funding for its Planning Department to revise the city's zoning code, part of a broader initiative to streamline development approvals.  

These programs are championed for their benefits in spurring development and increasing predictability. But for critics they threaten to reduce public input and the careful consideration of neighborhood concerns.  It will be interesting to see whether these changes represent a trend, partly motivated by the current economic climate, towards major reforms in city land use regulations and review processes.  If readers know of similar efforts underway elsewhere, please share.   

John Infranca